Vacuum-cleaner



R. NISHLMOTO.

VACUUM CLEANER. APPLlcATloN minima. 1.4, 192|.. Y 1,385,573. Patented July 26, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

R. Nl-SHIMQTO.

VACUUM CLEANER.y APPLl cATloN FILED MAR. 14, 1921.

1,385,573. Y Patented July 26,1921.4

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- RISAKU NISHIMOTO, OF TACOMA, WASHINGTON.

VACUUM-CLEANER.

Specication'of Letters Patent.

Patenten eraiy ze, 19er.

Application and March 1li, 192i. serial No. 451,978.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, RISAKU NisHiMo'ro9 a subject of the Emperor of Japan, residin at Tacoma, in the county of Pierce an State ofWashington, have invented a certain new and useful mprovement in Vacu- 11m-Cleaners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in vacuum cleaners of the class used for cleaning floors, rugs, carpets and the like and the object of my improvement is 'to provide a novel and elficient device of this nature that is mechanicallyoperated, the power to drive a vacuum fan that forms a part of the device being derived from the turning of the wheels of the cleaner and being transmitted to the fan through suitable gearing that greatly increases the speed of rotation, the said gearing being constructed so that the fan will always be driven in the same direction by power applied through the wheels regardless of whether the cleaner is moved forward or backward.

A further object is to provide a vacuum cleaner having a sweeper brush arranged just in front of the suction nozzle to sweep a rug or car et and loosen up the dirt and dust so that it will be' more easily picked up by the suction of the cleaner. i

A further object is to provide a vacuum.

cleaner of this nature that is stron and simple in construction, reliable and e cient in operation, not liable to get Aout of order and that is made up largely of standard parts that may be quickly and easily replaced if they become worn.

With the above and other objects in view as will be apparent from the following description the invention consists in the novel construction, adaptation and combination of parts as will be more clearly hereinafter described and claimed. l

In the accompanying drawin Figure 1 1s a view in side elevation o a vacuum cleaner constructed in accordance with my' invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is an inverted fragmentary view showing a'portion ofthe bottom of the vacuum cleaner including the suction nozzle; sweeping brush and mechanism for rotating such sweeping brush. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view in cross section substantially on a roken line 4,4 of Fig. 2 and Fig. 5 is plan view of the gear .mechansmfand driving wheels, parts of the gear housing being shown in cross section.

Like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 6 designates a fan housing that terminates at its rear end in an outlet opening 7 with which a dirt or dust collector bag 8 of the usual form.ma'y be connected.

Extending horizontally through the fan housing 6 and journaled in the walls thereof is a' shaft 1'0 upon which is secured a fan 11.

12 is a suction inlet passageway that communicates at its upper end with the central portion of the.fan housing 6 and that ares outwardly toward its lower end and terminates in a relatively long slot or suction nozzle 13 that is arranged crosswise of the bottom of the cleaner.

From the above descriptionit is obvious that when the fan 11 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow A air will be drawn upwardly through the nozzle 13 and will be forced outwardly through the outlet 7 into the dust bag 8.

Disposed justin front of the nozzle 13 and preferably integral with the housing is a transversely arranged brush housing 14 wherein is mounted a rotary brush 15 of the type common to carpet sweepers. f The ends of the brush 15 are secured to bearing studs or shafts 16 upon which are tixedly mounted pinions 17 that mesh with other pinions 18 on short shafts 20 that are secured to relatively small wheels 21 upon which the forward end of the vacuum cleaner is carried, see Fig. 3, so that when the vacuum cleaner is moved and the wheels 21 are rotatedthe brush 15 will be'rotated in the opposite direction from the wheels. The pinions 17 and 18 are preferably disposed within separate compartments 22 provided at the ends of the brush housing'.

'If desired, .the brush housin 14 may be made larger and dust receptac es or boxesl of thety e commonly used in carpet sweepers may be placed therein to catch the dirt that is picked up by the brush 15;

The fanl shaftv 10 projects rearwardly through the inclined rear wall of the fan housing 6 and is providedwith a fixedly mounted bevel gear 23 that meshes with any that meshes Awith a gear wheel 27 on a shaft 28 which, in turn, has a pinion 30 that meshes with a gear wheel 31 on a shaft 32.

The shaft 32 is provided at one end with a pinion 33 that meshes with a large gear wheel 34 and at the other end with another pinion 35 that meshes with an idler gear 36, which, in turn, meshes with a gear wheel 37.

The gear wheels 34 and 37 are both loosely mounted on a transverse axle shaft 38. The gear wheel 34 is disposed adjacent to a ratchet wheel 40 that is secured to the shaft 38 and that is arranged to be engaged 4by a click or pawl 41 on the gear wheel 34 in such a manner that when the shaft 38 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow B by moving the vacuum cleaner forward the gear wheel 34 will be rotated and will act through the intermediate gears to rotate the fan shaft 10. The gear wheel 37 is disposed adjacent to a ratchet wheel 42 that is secured to the axle 38 and that is engaged by a pawl 43 on. the gear wheel 37 in such a manner that when the axle 38 is rotated inthe direction indicated by the arrow C by rearward movement of the vacuum cleaner the gear wheel 37 will be rotated, and by 'reason of the intermediate gearing -will rotate the fan shaft 10 in the same direction that such shaft was rotated by the gear ,wheel 34 when the axle 38 was turned in an opposite direction.

Loosely mounted on the ends of the axle 38 are main drivingvwheels 44 and 45 that are disposed adjacent to ratchet wheels 46 and 47 respectively that are secured to the axle 38 andA that are engaged by pawls 48 and 50 on the wheels 44 and 45 respectively in such a manner that when the wheel 44 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow D by forwardmovement of the cleaner the shaft 38 will be rotated therewith and when the wheel 45 is-rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow E by rearward -movement of the cleaner the shaft 38 will be rotated therewith.

. By the train of mechanism above 1described it will be understood that when the vacuum cleaner is moved in a forward direction the fan shaft 10 lwill be rotated in the direction indicated by the. arrow A through the medium of the large gear wheel 34 and that when the cleaneris moved rearwardly the fan shaft 1'0 will -be rotated inv 'high ,rate of speed thereb material having a relatively high coeiiicient of friction.

yThe vacuum cleaner is provided with a handle 54 of any desired form by which it ma be moved.

he gear train included in this apparatus insures that the fan 11 will be rotated at a producing a strong suction even thoug the vacuum cleaner is moved slowly across the floor.

This vacuum cleaner is strong and simple in construction, efficient in operation and not expensive to manufacture. Itis adapted for any use that an ordinary vacuum sweeper,

may be put to and is especially well suited for use in locations where .theabsence of electric current makes the use of electrical apparatus impossible.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyin drawings the form of construction and met od of operation of this vacuum cleaner will vbereadily apparent, but, while I have described the principle of operation of the invention together withl the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof it will be understood that the device shown is merely illustrative and that such changes maybe p made as are within the scope of the following claim:

A vacuum cleaner of the class described comprising a fan housing having a discharge opening and having an inlet o ing that communicates with a relatively ong nozzle slot, a fan mounted for rotation in said fan housing, va' shaft connected with said fan l* and projecting rearwardly from said housing, an axle, a wheel loosely mounted on each end of said axle, ratchet means inte sed between each of said wheels and sai axle and arranged so that one of said wheels will drive said axle in one direction and the `other wheel will drive said axle in an opposite direction, two gearwheels loosely mounted .on i

said axle, ratchet'means for locking -oneof said gearwheels against rotation in one direction on said axle and the other gearwheel against rotation in the opposite direction on said axle, a short shaft arranged parallel with said axle, two pinions on said short A.

shaft, one of said pinions meshing directly with one of said gearwheels, an ldler r interposed between the other inion an the otherA gearwheel', and spee gears interposed between and operatively comfitecting said short shaft andv said fan sha In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe" my name this 1st daI ofMarch A. D.'1921.

, nrsKU NisHIM-oro.

acceleration 

